thirteen moons
by Satoshi-H
Summary: After almost thirty years away, Danny moves back to Amity Park with his daughter after his parents die. He gets a surprising visitor.


title: thirteen moons

summary: After almost thirty years away, Danny moves back to Amity Park with his daughter after his parents die, leaving their old house to their children. He gets a surprising visitor.

rated: t for language

notes: post phantom planet, but no identity reveal.

ok so this is literally... the worst pure self satisfaction i have ever writter im laughing really hard wow like i literally wrote this because i got mad and wanted it

* * *

Late into the night, the snow fell and fell. Danny had been cooking for the last hour, and the food was almost done. As there was nothing left to do while he waited for the timer but cleaning up the pan he'd used to saute, Danny looked around the kitchen awkwardly. It was strange to be back here again. Off-putting. Unsettling. The kitchen was almost exactly the way he remembered it, but somehow lonely. It was like he was a kid again, but not at the same time. The fridge was the same, but the contents different. The shelf labeled 'fudge' was the same, but it contained none of its namesake. Danny sighed and took a peek into the familiar front room.

His daughter sat in front of the largest window in the house and stared outside in wonder with hands pressed against the glass. This week had been her first time seeing snow, and even now she wanted to run outside and jump around in it. She'd already asked once though, and he had told her no. Tomorrow would be fine, but no going outside after dark. He worried about her enough as it was.

"Papa, when is dinner gonna be ready?" She called out impatiently.

Danny frowned at her. "Don't rush me, Sophie! It'll be ready when it's ready!"

"It's been forever! I'm hungry!" Sophie groaned, and flopped down onto the couch. She lay there on her stomach, face first in the cushions and snorted.

Danny just shook his head and laughed. Sometimes he worried that he'd done a poor job of raising her by himself, that he'd ruined her somehow, or that he still could. It was moments like these though, where he didn't care. She was completely and utterly perfect, and nothing would ever change his mind.

She was taking the move brilliantly. Danny had been worried that he would be uprooting her from her life by moving back to Amity Park, but she seemed to understand why and had been immensely cooperative. He knew she would miss her friends, and promised to take her to see them at least once a month.

He hadn't expected that living in his parent's old house would have upset him so much. It was hard, seeing things from his childhood that he barely remembered brought back to light. Sophie had been ecstatic, though, when she found out. She demanded that she get to stay in his old room. 'It's only fair!' was the basis of her argument. She'd gone nuts when she found a box hidden away in the closet filled with his things from when he was fourteen. A Fenton thermos had lain at the top of the pile, and he'd taken it out with a caution that erred on reverence.

Shaking his head, Danny waved at his daughter from the door frame. "Food's almost ready, so how about you come on over here and set the table for us, squirt?"

Sophie shot up in excitement, and scrambled across the room to him. "I'm on it, Captain!" She giggled, and saluted him awkwardly. Danny laughed and rubbed his knuckled on her head.

Then, the doorbell rang.

Danny paused in surprise. He'd tried to keep his moving inconspicuous, but apparently that hadn't worked as well as he'd thought. Sighing, he turned to Sophie. "Stay here, squirt. I'm gonna go tell whoever's at the door that they're interrupting a serious mission here."

She grinned brightly up at him while balancing on her tip toes to reach the plates. "Gotcha!"

Smiling, Danny squeezed past her and made his way down the hallway. _Ring, ring, ring. _The doorbell rang out again. "Uninvited _and_ impatient", Danny grumbled to himself, before swinging the door open.

He stopped cold, all thoughts of dinner and nosey neighbors fleeing his mind like a rabbit runs from a fox.

Standing before him, crinkled and distraught, was undoubtedly Vlad Masters.

If he had been anyone else, Danny was sure he wouldn't have recognized the man. Vlad was filthy and rugged, his hair loose and hung in his face. His beard had gone stark white, and was clearly out of control. He was hunched over, a far cry from the tall and defiant posture Danny always remembered the man having. But - then again - Danny was quite sure he remembered Vlad _dying alone in a vacuum of space. _

Vlad was looking up at him - _looking up? That sure was a strange feeling. Vlad having to look up at you. Danny always always associated the memories of Vlad with the feeling of being short, of looking up at some awful looming figure. - _with some degree of confusion plastered onto his withered face. He slowly seemed to be coming to some sort of realization, and was nearly shaking when his mouth opened. ". . . Daniel?" Vlad whispered, voice taught. "Is. . . is that you?"

Danny stared at him for a few more seconds before nodding stiffly.

Vlad seemed to crumble, and fell to his hands and knees. He shook his head violently, muttering something under his breath. Frozen with confusion and shock, Danny stood stock still and watched his childhood nemesis fall to pieces before him.

Suddenly, Vlad looked back up him with an open sort of madness cloying his features. "How. . . how long has it been? How long has it been?" Vlad asked.

Danny shook his head. "I- I don't know what's- Vlad, how are you _alive?!" _

"How. Long. Has _it been, Daniel!" _Vlad howled, his voice cracking painfully. It sounded as if he hadn't used it in years. "How long have I. . . been in space?!" _Maybe, he hasn't _Danny thought.

"Twenty- twenty five years-" Danny barely got the words out of his mouth before Vlad's eyes snapped to his in disbelief.

"Twenty. . . five. . . years? Twenty five whole long years? I-" Vlad's sickly gaze returned to the ground, and he shivered. Danny clenched his fingers hard enough in his hands that they hurt.

"Vlad, what the hell are you doing here? You shouldn't be here- you shouldn't even be alive!" Danny spat out, blood boiling. This was the last thing he needed right now. Too much was balanced at stake with the ghosts of Amity Park, and if Vlad went blabbing to them that he was back, Sophie could be- _Sophie- Oh god, Sophie's inside. _Danny felt himself freeze up in horror. The idea of Vlad anywhere near Sophie made his skin crawl. Danny stumbled backwards, and made to slam the door.

Vlad was glaring at him now, hollow eyes now bright with angry accusation. "Shouldn't be _alive? _Isn't that a bit harsh for Danny Phantom, boy hero? Why, is it because I'm not a 'good' person? Am I not worth being saved?" Vlad bit out gravely.

"Who the hell do you think you are, Vlad! Get off my-" Danny shouted, and gripped the door. He stopped short, however, when he heard a tiny sound behind him.

"Papa?" Sophie. Sophie, Sophie, _Sophie. _She had wandered out of the kitchen while he'd been distracted, and was peeking outside meekly. Her tiny fingers latched onto his pants leg, and held on tightly. "Papa, who's this? Do you know him?"

Danny risked a glance at Vlad. The man's eyes were wide, and it looked like all the tension had been bled out of him. Vlad's mouth hung open, and he stared at Sophie like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Growling, Danny made to push her back, but she slipped under his hand and darted out in front of him. "Sophie-"

Before he could finish, she whirled around to face him. "Papa, don't yell at him! He's sick! You're not supposed to yell at sick people, remember? That's what you told me when my puppy got sick last year! What if he dies like Spot did?!"

Vlad started spluttering something, but she continued. "Papa, can he come in? If you know him, then he must be alright! You made a lot of food, he can have dinner with us!" She chirped excitedly.

Danny shook his head vigorously. "No- no, he can't come in, Sophie; this isn't a nice man-"

Sophie crossed her arms, and ran over to Vlad. "Are you hungry, mister?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned back to Danny. "He looks terrible, Papa! You're supposed to help people who are in trouble, not turn them away! That's what you always tell me!"

Danny moved his mouth, but no words would come out. Vlad still looked like the entire world had been turned on its head.

"Fine." Danny growled, and Sophie nodded sagely. She ran back inside while shouting something about setting a third place, and Danny eyed Vlad cautiously. "Well. . . you'd better come on in. Just- no fucking funny business, do you hear me? You're only coming in because she's insisting. If you touch one hair on her fucking head, Vlad, I swear to god-"

"I won't. I promise you, Daniel, I- I'm not- I had. . . a long time to think. Longer than I thought, really. I was angry earlier, but- I wouldn't dare hurt her. You have my word, Daniel." Vlad whispered as he got to his feet.

Danny glared at him out of the corner of his eye. "A fat lot of good that is." He muttered, and closed the door behind them.

* * *

i might end up writing more at some point i might not idk don't expect much? who really know

if hacha asks me i probably will

laughs

if i do write more itll 99% probably end up danvlads so yeah


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